


weak link

by atimi (bertee)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Abduction, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non Consensual, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-09
Updated: 2011-04-09
Packaged: 2017-11-02 03:34:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/364526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bertee/pseuds/atimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Where's Jensen?" Jared asked urgently. "Kane, where the hell is Jensen?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	weak link

Jared hummed to himself as the elevator opened up onto the floor of the offices, and he wandered out in search of the pot of coffee that was usually waiting for him in the kitchen. Seeing the bustle of activity out of the corner of his eye, he yawned and called half-heartedly as he looked for coffee, "Morning, guys."

'Morning' was kind of a misnomer since it was already past noon but working for Jeff required a lot of adjustments, not least to Jared's usual work schedule. However, his quasi-morning wasn't getting off to the best start and he stopped with a frown when he saw the kitchen counters were empty and coffee-free. "Hey, how come there's no coffee?"

He turned around, ready to press the issue further, but he stopped when he saw Kane standing behind him. Worry uncoiled in Jared's gut at the serious expression on Kane's face and he shifted into business-mode even without the help of caffeine. "What's wrong?"

"We got something you need to see," Kane said quietly. "It ain't pretty."

"What's going on?" Jared asked again, looking past Kane into the apartment-office that they shared. Everyone seemed to be clustered around the wide computer screens in the corner, and Jared counted Steve, Jeff, and Aldis before his heart skipped a beat at the realization of who was missing.

"Where's Jensen?" he asked urgently. "Kane, where the hell is Jensen?"

Kane's voice stayed level. "That's what you need to see."

He nodded to where the rest of the gang were gathered and Jared strode past him, feeling his heart pound with fear at the thought of something happening to Jensen. It had been less than twelve hours since he'd dropped Jensen back off at his apartment after their date and he couldn't help but wonder what could've happened to him in that time.

He got his answer as soon as he saw the computer screen.

"Jared..."

Steve got up to speak to him as he approached but Jared ignored him, unable to take his eyes off the sight in front of him. Jensen's face filled the screen, giving Jared a clear view of the bruises on his skin and the gag taped across his mouth, and Jared shook his head, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Oh god…"

Jeff held up his hand for him to be quiet and Jared realized too late that the light of the speakerphone on the desk was blinking slowly, indicating that someone was on the other end of the line. His heart sank when a mocking laugh came through the speakers and he looked at the screen to see another person come into view.

"Let me guess," a voice said through the speakers, "Padalecki just showed up to the party."

The crackle of the voice matched up to the lips of the man on screen and Jared curled his hands into fists when he saw Zausch grinning at him through the computer screen. There was no camera operating on their end and Jared was glad that Zausch couldn't see the reaction he provoked as he ran his hand through Jensen's hair. Jensen flinched away at the touch and closed his eyes with a wince when Zausch grabbed his hair and pulled his head back to angle it up to the camera.

"Shh," Zausch whispered, leaning in close. "Let your friends get a good look at that pretty face."

Jensen opened his eyes and Jared watched the way his jaw clenched in anger as Zausch held him in place. He was on his knees with his hands bound behind him and Jared looked him over as much as he could, registering the bruises from fists sitting on his cheekbones, temples and jaw as well as the thinner marks from fingers curling around his neck. He was still dressed in the shirt he'd worn on their date the previous night and Jared felt sick as he wondered how Zausch had even gotten hold of Jensen.

"What do you want, Zausch?" Jeff asked, sounding more controlled than Jared could've managed to be in his position. "You don't kidnap a guy without wanting to get something out of it."

"I've already got something," Zausch taunted, tugging on Jensen's hair again. "Your boy's quite a prize, Morgan. It's not like you keep him around for his fighting skills anyway, right?"

He stroked his fingers down Jensen's cheek and Jared couldn't stay quiet any longer when he saw Jensen shudder. "Get the fuck off him, you son of a bitch." On camera, Zausch raised his eyebrows and Jared spat, "You touch him and I'll kill you, I swear."

Zausch laughed. "You'll kill me? Wow, I'm scared." Jared's eyes widened when he saw Zausch crouch behind Jensen and hook his arm carefully around his neck. "Come on then, boy." He grinned and tightened his arm. "Kill me."

Helpless and angry, Jared watched Jensen thrash in Zausch's grip as his air was cut off. He struggled hard, pulling against whatever bound his hands and trying to suck in air through his nose, but Zausch's hold was too tight and involuntary tears slid down his cheeks as he fought to stay conscious.

"Let him go," Jared said desperately. "Whatever you want, you're not gonna get it like this. Just let him go."

He was all too aware of the seconds ticking away as Zausch refused to let Jensen breathe and Jared dug his nails into his palms in anger when Zausch ripped off Jensen's gag and said with a smirk, "If he wants me to let go, he needs to ask nicely."

Jared itched to strangle Zausch himself, to haul him off Jensen and choke the life out of him for daring to lay a hand on Jensen, but he couldn't do anything except watch Jensen gasp out a plea. He couldn't read his lips at first, too lost in the blur of the movements on camera but he finally saw Jensen mouth the words, Stop. Please, stop, please, I can't breathe.

He doubled over, coughing and gasping for breath, when Zausch finally let go and Jared had to remind himself to breathe again with fleeting relief when Jensen lifted his head again, flushed and breathless but alive.

"Don't do it," Jensen said quickly. "Don't give them anything, Jeff. Don't-"

He was cut off when another guy stepped into frame and smacked him hard enough across the face to send him toppling to the floor. Jared looked to Jeff and then around at Steve, Kane and Aldis but they were all watching the screen with anger as Jensen was hauled back up onto his knees with Zausch's hand clamped over his mouth.

Jensen's nose was bloodied and he was looking up with hatred in his eyes at the man off camera even as Zausch chided, "It's not polite to speak out of turn, kid. Guess we'll have to find another way to shut you up."

The second man shuffled forward a little until Jared could just see his body from hip to knee, and Jared's eyes widened at the same time as Jensen's when he realized that the man was rubbing his hand against his dick through his pants. Jensen shook his head, struggles renewed at the realization of what they were going to do, and Jared yelled at Zausch, "No! Just let him go. I swear we won't retaliate, just hand him over to us. You don't need to do this."

Zausch laughed, knowing as well as Jared that there was no way he'd escape retaliation. "You should thank me, Padalecki. We saw you two together last night. You could use someone to teach your boy here to put out. We're doing you a favor."

Jensen shook his head, looking at the camera and struggling as hard as he could, but he went still when Zausch slid the thin blade of a knife underneath his chin. "Shh," Zausch whispered, just loud enough for Jared to hear. "Be a good boy."

On screen, the other guy opened his pants and Jared took a deep breath, not really believing what he was seeing. Zausch leaned in close to Jensen and said, "You're gonna open your mouth and suck him. Try anything else and I'm gonna knock your teeth out one by one and send them to your boyfriend. Give Padalecki something to remember you by." He took his hand off Jensen's mouth and slapped him on the cheek. "Get to it."

Jensen hesitated, looking between the guy's dick and the camera, but he winced when Zausch pressed the knife against his skin hard enough to draw a thin line of blood. The other guy gripped his hair and forced his way inside Jensen's mouth as Jensen shuddered and pulled against his restraints.

"Why're you doing this, Zausch?" Jeff asked sharply. "What do you want from us?"

"I want you out of the picture," Zausch said, turning his attention to the camera while his friend wrenched Jensen's head back and pushed deeper into his mouth. Jared heard Jensen choke but he stayed quiet and let Zausch and Jeff talk as Jensen screwed his eyes shut in disgust.

"Here's how this is going to work," Zausch continued. "You're going to cancel every single job on your books. Every theft, every protection gig, every retrieval is going to stop and if anyone asks why, you say you're leaving the sector. Then you're going to transfer the ten million in your account to my account, and then get out of my city. Do you understand me?"

Jared and Aldis shared a nervous glance but Jeff didn't take his eyes off the screen. "And if we do all that, we get Jensen back unharmed?"

On screen, the guy grabbed at Jensen's hair, forcing him to keep his mouth wrapped around while he struggled to breathe.

Zausch smiled darkly. "You do everything within three hours and you get him back unharmed." He ran his hand down Jensen's back and Jensen cried out around the dick in his mouth when Zausch groped his ass. "Otherwise we're going to start playing with him in all kinds of fun ways."

"No." Jared shook his head. "You can't…" He looked to Jeff. "We can't let them-"

Jeff held up his hand for silence but Zausch continued his taunts, "Yes, you can, Padalecki. You get your boss to do what I say or I'm gonna strap your boyfriend down and let every single one of my guys take a turn fucking that tight little ass. How do you feel about sloppy twenty-seconds?" He grinned. "If you're feeling neglected, we could always chop Ackles' dick off and send it back to you. After all, if you guys don't pay up, he's not going to need it anymore anyway."

Jensen sobbed around the guy's dick, terrified and losing whatever composure he had left, and Jared was pretty sure he would've done anything to get him out of there; there was no way Jensen deserved any of this. The guy fucked in hard and fast, showing no mercy as Jensen choked and struggled, and Jared could only watch as he came with a groan, spilling into Jensen's open mouth and then withdrawing to let Jensen cough and spit onto the ground.

His face was red with shame and smeared with blood, come and bruises, and Zausch wrapped his hand around his mouth to keep him quiet again as he said with a smile, "Three hours. I'll be in touch."

The screen went black, leaving Jared and his friends in stunned silence. Jared didn't even know what to say to break the quiet but he felt new confidence flare through him when Jeff said firmly, "Let's go get Jensen back."

:::

Getting Jensen back was easier said that done.

Jeff had put Kane and Steve in charge of rounding up the ten million in case it came to that, while he took on the job of talking to some of their clients to convince them to cooperate. It was left to Jared and Aldis to do the actual locating; Aldis because he was the best at computers (after Jensen) and Jared because he was most likely to notice something, anything, that could tell them where Jensen was.

Unfortunately, watching the recording of his boyfriend being kidnapped, beaten and forced to suck a guy off wasn't that conducive to thorough observational skills, and after sitting through the video for two hours, Jared was close to admitting defeat.

"We're not getting anywhere," he said, frustrated and worried. "Jensen's been with them for god knows how long - they could be doing anything to him right now and we're just watching what they've already done."

"Hey, we've made some progress," Aldis offered. "We know they're out of the city and in an east-facing room with a wooden floor and a high window. It's a start."

"It's not enough." Jared ran his hand through his hair and watched Zausch do the same thing to Jensen on screen. "They're gonna kill him, man. I can't just sit here and see him get tortured again. I need to do something."

"We're working on it," Aldis reassured. "None of us want to see Jensen get hurt, okay? He's ours to look after and we all fucked up letting him get taken like this but we're gonna get him back." He gestured to the screen. "He's stayin' strong, man. I'd be freaking the fuck out if someone choked me like that, let alone the rest of it." Jared watched as Zausch ripped off Jensen's gag again and made him beg for breath. "See? He's hanging in there. Now we need to do the same and work out where he is. We should start again and-"

"Wait," Jared interrupted, staring at the screen. "Go back."

"Go back to what?"

"What was he saying?" Jared asked. "What was he saying when Zausch was choking him?"

"He was telling him to stop," Aldis said, quiet but confused. "He was saying please. I thought you saw that?"

"No, no, before that." Grabbing the keyboard, Jared skipped back to the second the tape came off and watched Jensen's lips move. "What's he saying at first?"

Aldis leaned in closer to watch. "I thought it was 'please' again but it could be something like 'mill' at first. Mill Road, maybe?"

"Is there a Mill Road anywhere near here?" Jared asked, watching again. "Or a regular mill? 'Smith's Mill', maybe?"

"There's a Smythe Mill about an hour out," Aldis said, looking up from his screen. "Why wouldn't Jensen just tell us where he was if he knew? He could speak sometimes."

"He didn't want them to know he was telling us," Jared said, proud of Jensen's efforts. "If they knew he told us, they'd move him away, or worse, before we got there." Eager to get going, he watched again, trying to pick up whatever else Jensen was saying. "Rower? Is there anything like that near the mill?"

"There's a Rowood Lane," Aldis offered. "There's a couple of farms down there -- what do you think are the chances he's in one of those?"

"Pretty fuckin' good," Jared said, not letting himself feel relieved just yet.

Grabbing the laptop, he pulled out his cell to call Jeff, hoping they wouldn't be too late.

:::

As ever, Jeff was efficient. He'd left Aldis back at the office to man the computers and take the call if Zausch contacted them before they could reach Jensen. Jared, Steve and Jeff were in the van with Kane at the wheel, loaded up with every weapon they had and heading at speed out of the city to find Jensen. The three hours were almost gone but Jared couldn't let himself think about that, couldn't think about anything beyond working out which farm Jensen was being held at.

He watched the recording again and again on his laptop as the van sped down bumpy roads, trying to work out what Jensen was mouthing before 'please' and 'stop'.

"We're getting close," Kane called from the driver's seat as he pulled to a stop. "We should go on foot from here - it's not dark enough to hide a vehicle yet." He checked his watch and said quietly, "We got maybe three minutes left."

Steve looked at Jared. "Which farm do you want? The Hitching one or the Robbins one?"

"The Hitching one has cows," Kane added from his vantage point up front. "Some sheep and chickens too, I think. All I saw at the Robbins one were ducks."

Jared's eyes widened and he repeated 'ducks' under his breath, concentrating on the shape of his mouth as he said it. "Robbins," he said confidently. "He's at the Robbins farm."

Jeff nodded. "Let's go."

Climbing out of the van, Jared fell into position behind Kane as they moved down the lane, sticking to the cover of the trees as they got closer to the farm. Kane pressed up against the wall and peered up inside the window before motioning for the rest of them to advance. Steve and Jeff took the back, moving around to the exit of the stone house at the edge of the farm while Kane and Jared took the front.

The lane was deserted, the fields empty and quiet in the dim light of the evening, and Jared tightened his grip on his gun when he saw the two men standing on watch by the door. He and Kane ducked down low, staying below the line of the hedgerow as they crept closer, and Jared readied himself for the attack when Kane threw a stone against the wall to catch their attention. Stupid as ever, Zausch's guys turned in search of the noise and Jared and Kane struck instantly, clubbing them on the backs of their heads with their guns to drop them to the ground.

After fitting zipties around their wrists and ankles to immobilize them, Jared let Kane drag them away to be hidden while he peered in the window to check on the situation inside. He recognized the room instantly as the one from the tape and his eyes swept over the dozen or so men in the room before landing on Jensen.

Jensen was pressed against the far wall, gagged and bound and even more beat-up than he'd been three hours earlier. He looked exhausted and terrified, and Jared's stomach twisted into knots when the guy pinning Jensen down tightened his grip on his throat and reached between their bodies with his free hand. He watched Jensen kick and struggle as much as the vise-grip on his throat would let him but it didn't take long for him to screw his eyes shut and turn his head away as the guy continued his unseen touches.

Jared didn't know the guy but he had no doubt that he was going to be the one to kill him.

He ducked down out of sight when he heard a noise around the back of the house but stayed close enough to the window to hear Zausch order some of his guys to go check it out.

When he raised his head again there were only eight guys left in the room, leaving them with a more manageable two targets each rather than three, but he kept watch on Jensen while he waited impatiently for Jeff and Steve to finish disposing of the first four. The guy in front of him looked like he was whispering something into Jensen's ear as Jensen shuddered and turned away but Jared was relieved when the guy looked away from Jensen at Zausch's barked order, "Enough already, Williams. Strap him down -- you can have your fun on camera if Morgan doesn't pay up."

Williams stepped back from Jensen but slapped him hard across the face when Jensen breathed a sigh of relief. Jared's eyes narrowed but Kane's hand was on his shoulder to hold him back before he could break the door down to intervene.

"Wait for Jeff's signal," Kane whispered, and Jared took a breath as he watched Williams haul Jensen across the room, kicking him hard in the stomach when he stumbled and dropped to his knees.

"Move, bitch," Williams spat. "We don't wanna keep your boyfriend waiting for the show."

Jensen fought harder at the mention of Jared but he didn't last long when Williams punched him in the face and took advantage of his disorientation to slam him down against the table at the side of the room. Another of Zausch's men bound Jensen's ankles to the legs of the table while Williams strapped his upper body down to render him immobile as Williams unfastened his jeans and started to tug them down his thighs.

From his position by the window, Jared heard Jensen cry out, struggling as he was left exposed and vulnerable, but Williams only laughed as he smacked him on the ass. "We ain't even started yet, boy. Save your cryin' for when it really starts to hurt."

"Wait," Kane hissed again.

Listening for the signal, Jared watched Zausch turn on the camera and dial the number for their office, and his heart started beating faster when he heard Aldis' voice through the speakers. "Morgan and Associates."

"Hodge, right?" Zausch asked. "Put your boss on the line, boy." He ran his hand through Jensen's hair with a smile. "I think he's gonna want to watch this."

From the intake of breath on the other end of the call, Jared guessed Aldis was seeing what Zausch was filming, and he sounded rattled when he answered, "The boss isn't in right now. He's out getting the money you wanted -- he said he got stuck in traffic."

Zausch raised his eyebrows. "Pity." He smiled darkly. "I guess we can start without him." He clicked his fingers and Williams stepped up behind Jensen who yelled helplessly through his gag. "Be sure to report back to him," Zausch told Aldis. "I bet your boy here looks good with a cock up his ass."

Jared was ready to go charging in alone when Williams unfastened his own pants but he breathed out in relief when he heard an imitated bird cry from the other side of the house, indicating that Jeff and Steve were as ready as they were.

He didn't wait a second longer to kick the door down.

Jeff and Steve followed at almost the same moment, barreling through the back door while Jared and Kane strode in through the front. Jared put a bullet in Williams first, dropping him to the ground and away from Jensen, before taking a shot at the guy who'd tied Jensen's legs to the table and who'd been waiting by the wall for his turn with Jared's boyfriend. The cacophony of gunfire raged behind him, short and fast, and when he turned back around to check on his team, he was relieved to find them all standing with only a couple of small wounds on Steve's arm and Kane's thigh. The rest of the gang lay dead or incapacitated and Jared looked over to Jeff for confirmation, "We good?"

Jeff nodded. "We're good. Kane, get rid of the camera; Steve, talk to Aldis; and Jared, you go take care of Jensen." He raised his gun with a grim smile. "I'll keep an eye on our friend here."

He motioned to where Zausch was propped up against the wall, bleeding from a wound to his shoulder and glaring angrily at the four of them. It was all Jared could do not to put a bullet in his head himself but the thought of Jensen was enough to distract him and he hurried over to the table where Jensen was still strapped down and helpless.

"Hey," he murmured, crouching beside the table and working at removing the straps holding Jensen down. "It's okay, we're here. We got you."

He could feel how much Jensen was shaking as he cut his wrists and ankles free and he stepped back a little to let Jensen stand upright, not wanting to scare him any more. Jensen's fingers trembled as he hurried to refasten his jeans and peel off his gag, and as soon as the duct-tape dropped to the ground, Jared was surprised to find Jensen pulling him into a desperate hug.

"Thank you." Jensen's voice sounded wrecked and Jared didn't even want to think about how much screaming Jensen had done in the hours that he'd been in Zausch's hands. "Thank you," he whispered again, quiet and shaken. "God, thank you."

"Shhh," Jared whispered back, resting his hand against the back of Jensen's neck. "It's gonna be okay. We're here now. No-one's gonna hurt you."

Jensen pulled back a little at that, looking around the room until his gaze landed on Zausch. His face was still pale and bruised from his captivity but Jared was almost scared by the anger in Jensen's eyes as he walked towards his kidnapper.

Zausch looked up at him with a sneer, still conscious despite the blood dribbling out of the hole in his shoulder. "Looks like you get to keep your legs together after all, Ackles." He glanced over at Jared. "And it looks like you get your boyfriend back, Padalecki." He laughed, letting his head fall back against the wall. "Shame my guys got there first."

Jared's eyes went wide but Jensen moved before he could ask Zausch anything further. Grabbing the gun from Jared's holster, Jensen flipped the safety off, extended his arm and landed a bullet between Zausch's legs without a second's hesitation.

Zausch screamed, clutching at his injured dick and cursing incoherently, but none of them made any move to stop Jensen as he shot him again and again, emptying his clip into Zausch's body until the man was a motionless corpse on the ground.

Jeff shot Jared a look and Jared stepped forward, coaxing the weapon out of Jensen's shaking hands as he murmured, "It's okay, man. Just give me the gun."

Jensen gave it up without a fight, seeming lost and exhausted as he looked up at Jared, and Jared held his hand out for Jensen to take. "How about I take you home? The other guys can clean up here."

Jensen stared at him for a moment, like he wasn't registering what Jared had said, but he came back to himself a little when Jared gave him a reassuring smile. "I should help…"

"You've done enough," Jeff said, keeping his voice as gentle as Jared had ever heard it. "You led us here, Jensen. You did your part."

Despite looking like he wanted to argue, Jensen didn't say anything else and went willingly when Jared guided him away. Stealing some car keys from one of the fallen gang members, Jared left the truck to Jeff and the rest of them and shepherded Jensen towards the Mercedes tucked away behind the trees. It was probably stolen, or at least bought with ill-gotten gains, but Jared was just concerned with getting Jensen out of there; he could always dispose of the car later.

Jensen's injuries looked even worse in the dusky shadows, bruises painted across his face in dark strokes, and Jared helped him over to the Mercedes as he asked, "You want me to take you to the hospital?"

Jensen gave a tight shake of his head. "I just wanna go home. I can get tested tomorrow."

Jared swallowed. "Tested? Did they-"

"They didn't fuck me," Jensen said quietly. "They just used my mouth but I- I was bleeding and-"

"I get it," he cut in, looking at Jensen with concern. "I can take you if you want."

Jensen bit his lip. "I don't- It's okay."

Worried by Jensen's quietness (but not unsympathetic to the reasons behind it), Jared guided him around to the backseat of the car and opened the door. "You should sleep," he said gently. "I'll wake you up when we get to your place."

Exhaustion seemed to win out and Jensen climbed inside to curl up on the backseat. Rolling up his jacket, Jared eased it under his head as a makeshift pillow and he watched Jensen's eyes drift close as he pulled back, letting his fingers linger on one of the bruises on Jensen's cheek. He figured it had been at least a day and a half since Jensen had slept, not counting any periods of unconsciousness while in Zausch's custody, and from the driver's seat Jared watched in the mirror as Jensen succumbed to sleep.

He hadn't expected Jensen to instantly be fine once he'd been rescued but as Jensen hunched in on himself in the backseat when Jared started the engine, he knew his worries about Jensen's wellbeing weren't going to go away anytime in the near future.

:::

Jensen was still fast asleep by the time Jared pulled up to his building.

He'd been to Jensen's building and his apartment plenty of times over the two years that they'd been working together, mostly with the rest of the group in tow but more recently on his own. He and Jensen had been dating for less than a month, taking things slow in the hopes of avoiding a messy break-up and complications at work, but Jared had fallen hard and fast and his anger at what had been done to Jensen went far beyond that of a regular coworker.

He had trouble reconciling the shy but happy Jensen he'd driven home a day earlier with the beaten, terrified version of Jensen he'd seen on the tapes but as he opened the back door to coax Jensen awake, he was glad to have him back at all.

"Hey," he murmured, resting his hand on Jensen's shoulder. "We're here, man."

Jensen cracked his eyes open but flinched back when he saw Jared. Jared lifted his hand away, not wanting to scare him further, but Jensen calmed quickly and lowered his eyes in embarrassment. "Sorry. I thought…"

"Don't worry about it." He rested his hand on Jensen's shoulder again, making sure he could see the movement. "You think you can walk?"

Jensen gave him a tired smile. "I got beat up, Jared. My legs still work."

Despite his protestations, he leaned on Jared as he helped him out of the car and up in the elevator to his apartment, thankfully without running into any other tenants -- Jared really didn't want to have to explain their day to well-meaning bystanders. Jensen rested close against his side, still keeping much quieter than he usually was around Jared, and Jared filled the silence as they headed to Jensen's door, "Bet you're ready to go to sleep, right? Your bed's gotta be more comfortable than the back seat of that car."

Jensen gave him a half-hearted smile. "Sounds good." He pulled away as they reached the door. "I can take it from here. Thanks, Jared."

"Hey, at least let me see you in safely." He slid his spare key in the lock and glanced back with a smile. "I can make you some tea of that weird tea you like or something."

Jensen didn't say anything but Jared pushed open the door anyway, intending to made Jensen some very comforting tea.

He came to an abrupt halt when he saw the inside of Jensen's apartment.

"What the-"

Jensen's apartment was trashed. His picture frames, television and laptop were smashed to pieces, his furniture was overturned and broken, and the rest of his belongings were strewn across the room. Jared walked through to the kitchen, seeing the same devastation there, then turned around to look at Jensen who hadn't moved from the doorway. "What happened here?"

Jensen wouldn't meet his eyes. "It doesn't matter. I'll clean up later -- you don't need to stay."

"Jensen…" Jared walked back over to him, wishing he'd at least look up. "What happened? Did Zausch do this?"

"It's fine," Jensen said but Jared heard the way his voice shook. "Please, just go, okay? You've done enough for me today. Just go back to work -- I'm sure they could use your help."

"You could use my help," Jared said but frowned when Jensen bit his lip. "C'mon, man, talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about," Jensen said, turning away. "Go back to work, Jared. Everyone's wasted enough time on me already."

"Wasted?" Jared followed him across the room. "How was it wasted? Everyone cares about you."

"They shouldn't." Jared raised his eyebrows as Jensen turned back, visibly upset. "You think this would happen to you? Or to Kane or Jeff or Aldis or Steve? I'm the weak link here, Jared. You were all in danger because of me."

Jared did a double-take, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Jensen, this wasn't your fault. Zausch could've targeted any of us-"

"But he chose me," Jensen said. "He and his guys broke in here and waited for me."

"They waited for you?" Jared repeated, filling in the sequence of events in his minds. "Oh god… They were here when I brought you home last night?"

Jensen nodded, his cheeks turning red in shame. "They were waiting for me when I came in. I tried to fight them but-" He took a breath and tried to regain his composure. "They broke my cell and my computer, cut my phoneline, and choked me when I tried to shout for help. They didn't leave for hours, just kept breaking shit and shoving me around and laughing at me when I tried to fight back." He looked up at Jared as though desperate for approval. "I tried, I swear I did, but I couldn't-"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jared said, pulling Jensen in for a hug and feeling him settle into his arms with minimal resistance. "I know you did. You did great, Jensen."

"I-I know I'm weak," Jensen stammered. "I know I'm a back room guy and I can't do what the rest of you do, but I tried to fight him, I promise."

"You were outnumbered," Jared said, hating that Jensen was doubting himself like this. "None of us would've been able to take down all those guys." He kissed him on the top of the head. "You were amazing today, man. I couldn't've held it together like you did."

Jensen shook his head, burying his face against Jared's neck closely enough that Jared could feel Jensen's tears falling. "I didn't do anything," he said between hitching breaths. "God, I just sat there and took it-"

"No," Jared said, stroking the back of his neck. "You didn't, man. You held it together, you told us where to come find you, and you took down Zausch. You're just as strong as everyone in that office. Hell, you're probably stronger."

"Don't…" Jensen shook his head as he tried to pull away and Jared's heart clenched in sympathy when he saw the tears running down his bruised cheeks.

"I'm not making fun of you," he promised. "I mean it, Jensen. You did really good today." He gave him a hopeful smile. "I'm so impressed, man, seriously."

Jensen swiped at his eyes to catch the last tears. "How am I supposed to go back to work tomorrow after this? How can you even look at me after what happened?"

Jared cupped his face and caught a stray tear with his thumb. "Okay, first off, you're not going to work for at least a couple of days. You got kidnapped and tortured -- I think you deserve a few personal days." He was pleased to see Jensen smile a tiny bit at that and leaned in closer as he said, "And second, no-one thinks any less of you for what happened, I guarantee it. We know you, Jensen, and we all love you. Nothing that happened was your fault and we're not going to change our opinions of you because of a scumbag like Zausch."

Jensen didn't say anything else, just leaned into the hug again, and Jared wrapped his arms around him tighter as he murmured, "How about you get some sleep, huh? You look exhausted, man."

Jensen tensed up a little. "I- Can I stay at your place?" he asked softly. "When he was here, Zausch took me into the bedroom and I- I don't wanna stay there right now."

Jared's stomach twisted itself up tight but he said carefully, "Zausch? I thought you said he didn't-"

"He didn't fuck me," Jensen said. "He just got off on threatening to go through with it." He looked down. "It's okay, I can stay here. It's not that big a deal."

The tremor in his voice said otherwise and Jared kissed him on the head again. "No way. You're staying with me for as long as you want."

"Isn't it kinda soon for us to move in together?" Jensen joked weakly. "You haven't even fucked me yet."

Given the day's events, Jared had a hard time finding it funny. "We don't need to have sex," he said firmly, not wanting Jensen to get the wrong impression. "Not tonight and not ever if you don't want to. I just want you safe and happy, okay?" He smiled. "And you're always welcome to move in whenever you want. I apologize in advance for my godawful cooking."

His heart did a happy little flip when Jensen laughed at that and he pulled back enough to see that his tears had dried. There was no ignoring the fact that there'd be a long way to go before Jensen was secure and content with everything -- his job, his friends, his home -- let alone ready for a more intense relationship, but Jared knew he'd do whatever it took to help him whenever he could.

Jensen let out a tired sigh as he leaned into Jared's side and tangled their fingers together in a comfortable grip, and Jared felt a spark of hope for the future flare up inside him when Jensen said sleepily, "Let's go."


End file.
